Is Your Microwave… a Crud Collector?It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s super convenient. Without it, some of us couldn’t survive in the kitchen. No way.Yes, the microwave oven is an indispensable appliance.The microwave oven is a modern invention. The first microwaves were around in the mid 1940s, but were mainly for restaurants and reheating food on airplanes. They were massive devices that had to be cooled continuously by water flow. By the 1950s they were introduced to homeowners and some did indeed purchase them, but they were approximately $12,000 in today’s dollars. The popularity along with more affordability began in the 1980s and microwaves as a common fixture in the kitchen is now here.Virtually everyone has one. If you don’t, you are in the minority. What all microwave users have in common is cleaning up the mess that inherently comes with using these handy ovens that can cook snacks or complete meals in seconds or minutes instead of hours.To ensure your microwave oven not only looks good but also operates efficiently, you must keep it clean.Here’s how.Scrape it As with any cleaning task, scraping up as much as you can before applying cleaning agents is smart. Food particles and residue that resulted from an “explosion” of food can easily be scraped away from the walls and ceiling of the inside of the oven.Spray it When you have scraped up as much as possible, use an appropriate cleaning solution and liberally spray the interior of the microwave. Give it some time for the solution to work, perhaps five minutes, and then wipe away the grime. But if there is a lot of grime, continue reading and do this…Steam itFill a microwave-safe bowl about two-thirds full of water. Put it inside the microwave and heat it up on high for about three to five minutes, or until it is boiling. Don’t open the door! Let the bowl sit in there for approximately 10 minutes, allowing the steam to loosen up the grime. Then…Wipe itSpray the moist interior of the oven with more cleaning solution, and use paper towels to wipe all interior surfaces. Even the toughest grime should come off after all your prep work.Other dirty surfacesMicrowave ovens aren’t the only grimy things that can be part of the modern household. When you need any of your surfaces cleaned, such as carpet, furniture, hard floors and more, call your favorite cleaning company. It pays to call a pro!

Thinking about the care and cleaning of a mattress may not be on everyone’s minds, but when you consider you spend six, eight or even more hours with it every day… you should take good care of it.

Some people notice that over time, perhaps just a year or two, they suffer more from allergies and other conditions. It is possible an unclean mattress could be the culprit.

This is not saying there are issues with anyone’s hygiene. Mattresses are like any other surface and they need regular cleaning — yet when you cover them up with clean sheets on a regular basis, not many give it much thought.

Dust mites (which are in every bed), their fecal matter, dead skin cells and more all add up over time and can cause a host of health issues.

There are many steps you can take to keep your mattress clean and healthy:

Change the bedding on a regular basis

Use a mattress cover to keep contaminants out of the mattress

Vacuum the top of your mattress, perhaps four times a year

After vacuuming, flip the mattress and vacuum again

Those are pretty basic steps, but ask yourself… “Am I doing them?” If not, start now. You will have a healthier sleeping environment that not only gives you peace of mind, but also relief from some allergic reactions and other issues that you may have been suffering from but didn’t know the source.

Don’t forget, there are professional service companies that can periodically give your mattress a deep cleaning. Just as with all your carpet cleaning and furniture cleaning needs, call your favorite professional cleaning company to care for your mattress.

Keeping that gas grill in good shape is, therefore, paramount to happy outdoor barbecues and family gatherings.

And here’s something we all know: Outdoor gas grills don’t clean or take care of themselves. It takes determination on your part to keep them working for you, meal after meal after meal.

Here are a few easy steps to keeping your gas grill in good shape.

Step 1: After cooking your favorite treat on the grill (after removing all the food to a platter, of course) keep the grill on. In fact, turn it up a bit, and let all the bits of meat and drippings burn to a crisp so after everything cools you can scrape them off the grill grate. If you don’t do this, the next time you fire up the grill means you will be dealing with the remnants of the previous meal. That’s not tasty.

Step 2: Look underneath… no matter the quality of your grill, if you have a storage area for pans, spatulas and the propane tank, food drippings and debris can quickly create a problem. Clean out that storage area on a regular basis, keeping everything neat and ready for the next meal.

Step 3: Don’t ignore the exterior of the grill. Washing the outside of the grill with warm, soapy water keeps grime from building up.

Step 4: When not in use, keep everything covered up. Some feel that with warmer weather, they can leave the grill exposed to the elements. Hey, it’s meant to be outside, right? Yet keeping the grill under a quality grill cover can add years of life to your trusty outdoor cooking partner.

Of course, with outdoor grilling comes greasy spills that can spot and stain your carpet. Nearly everyone has dropped a burger or a hot dog on the floor when bringing the food inside. Even worse is when your tasty treat is covered with mustard or ketchup. Do your carpet a favor and call your professional carpet cleaning company when that happens.​